Undergraduate Research & Creativity (UGRC)

WHY Undergraduate Research and Creativity? (UGRC)

Quotation Mark

"Undergraduate research has given me the opportunity to connect classic literature to a relevant issue today. Presenting at conferences has given me additional confidence."

Noel Fedeli, Secondary Education German

KU Inspires is an annual celebration of student research and creativity that will take place on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 in Rohrbach Library. The event celebrates student-generated research at all stages from works in progress to completed projects.

  • April 20, 2022: KU Inspires!  View the at-a-glance agenda with times and locations of events.
    • Paper presentations (15 min; undergraduate and graduate)
    • Poster presentations (undergraduate and graduate)
    • Artwork, zines, digital projects, sculpture, etc.
    • Performances
    • Short Films

    The 2021 conference featured work by student researchers in a broad range of disciplines and across colleges. Click here to view the 2021 conference program.

    • Save the Dates! 
      • April 18, 2022: KUs Composition Conference 
      • April 23, 2022: HECBC Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference 
        • 2022 at Penn State Berks - Please note that all presenters, faculty and guests must register to attend. 
    Maria Smoyer presents at 2019 meeting, smiling next to her presentation poster

    2019 Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting

    Marie Smoyer presents at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting in 2019.

    Maria Smoyer presents at 2019 meeting, smiling next to her presentation poster

    Special Education Students Present Poster at CEC 2021

    Special Education majors Rebecca Deller, Maggie McFadden, and Madison Dailey (supervised by Professor Kyleigh Ivory) present their poster titled "A Review of Educational Supports for Students with Chronic Health Conditions Requiring Extended and Frequent Hospitalization" at the 2021 Council for Exceptional Children Virtual Conference.

    Four female students virtually present on "teachers' perceptions of preparedness working with students with chronic illness: a review" at TASH Conference

    Students Present Poster at TASH Conference

    Special Education majors Kailey Smith, Robin Smith, and Tori Bissinger (supervised by Professor Kyleigh Ivory) present their poster titled "Teachers' Perceptions of Preparedness Working with Students with Chronic Medical Conditions: A Review" at the 2020 TASH Conference.

    Two female students smiling in front of a piece in the eckhaus gallery

    Students Exhibit Original Work at the Eckhaus

    Eckhaus is a student-run art gallery. Students work with the Kutztown community to present, local, regional, international, faculty, alumni, and student work in all mediums.

    Male student wearing gloves and working with genetic analysis equipment

    Analyzing DNA by gel electrophoresis

    A student loads DNA samples on an agarose gel as part of a project to create modified apoptosis (programmed cell death) proteins.

    Headshot of female student in the army, wearing her uniform

    KU English Student Takes Top Prize

    Ariel Jennings was awarded the "Best Paper" Prize at the LVAIC Women & Gender Studies Conference for her paper "Bitches Be Crazy: Searching for Diversity in the Domestic Thriller."

    Two female students taking notes on samples in outdoor class

    Kutztown University Archaeology Field School

    Tabitha Martinez (l) and Dani Cannon (r) identify an artifact discovered while excavating in the Stoddart Mansion at Stoddartsville, a 19th-century milling village in northeast Pennsylvania that is the current site of the Kutztown University Archaeology Field School.

    KU undergraduate students Sebastien Treciak, Alexandra Racosky, and Emily Snyder setting up imaging equipment on the bank of West Creek

    Resistivity Survey of West Creek in Schuylkill Watershed

    KU undergraduate students Sebastien Treciak, Alexandra Racosky, and Emily Snyder set up a resistivity survey line in West Creek of the Schuylkill Watershed to pinpoint zones of seepage that will be targeted by local watershed groups for remediation efforts against the large scale abandoned mine drainage problems that exist in that area.

    Dr. Tony Wong lecturing to three students on mathematics, with mathematic symbols written on glass board in the foreground

    Dr. Wong Champions Undergraduate Research

    Dr. Tony Wong, associate professor of mathematics, consistently works with students on developing research ideas that students go on to present at regional or national conferences.

    Dr. Wolfmeyer and KU student Anna Nissley, standing on either side of a powerpoint slide that reads "improving our ability to communicate affectively"

    Student/Faculty Research Team

    Dr. Mark Wolfmeyer mentored Anna Nissley, Secondary Education Spanish, on her presentation at the American Educational Studies Association.

    Female staff member and female student sitting on a desk while a male student stands to the side, all of them smiling at each other

    Researching Gender Bias in the Middle School Classroom

    James Durham and Jenna Plump, Middle-Level Education, discuss their research with their faculty mentor, Carol Watson. The team is investigating gender bias in the middle school classroom with an emphasis on student voices.

    Female student smiling and holding up a poster for the undergraduate research and creativity conference

    Student Advocates for Undergraduate Research

    Victoria Salazar, BS Chemistry BA German, speaks to students in classes about the value of participating in undergraduate research and creativity conferences.

    Two professors stand on either side of a student, all of them analyzing a browned page

    Student Researches PA German Cartoon

    Erica Cohen Hamilton, Anthropology, is conducting original research on a Pennsylvania German cartoon, Pumpernickel Bill, that ran in the Morning Call newspaper.

    Female student Noel Fedeli smiling while standing beside a tri-fold titled "#Me too, Kafka" at KUs Council on Human Diversity Conference

    Fedeli Wins Honorable Mention Prize

    Noel Fedeli, Secondary Education German, presented at KUs Council on Human Diversity Conference and then went on to present at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges German Studies Conference, where she won an honorable mention prize for her project #metoo .

    Female student Lauren Verna smiling next to female rap artist Reyhan Sahin, whose arm is around her

    Student Interviews Controversial Turkish-German Rap Artist

    Lauren Verna, Secondary Education German, had the opportunity to meet and interview rap artist Lady Bitch Ray aka Reyhan Sahin, at the Women in German conference at the University of the South.

    Emily Cantor in front of her research presentation.

    2018 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS MIDDLE STATES DIVISION

    Emily Cantor presents at the American Association of Geographers Middle States Division Annual Meeting in 2018.

    Maria Smoyer presents at 2019 meeting, smiling next to her presentation poster
    Maria Smoyer presents at 2019 meeting, smiling next to her presentation poster
    Four female students virtually present on "teachers' perceptions of preparedness working with students with chronic illness: a review" at TASH Conference
    Two female students smiling in front of a piece in the eckhaus gallery
    Male student wearing gloves and working with genetic analysis equipment
    Headshot of female student in the army, wearing her uniform
    Two female students taking notes on samples in outdoor class
    KU undergraduate students Sebastien Treciak, Alexandra Racosky, and Emily Snyder setting up imaging equipment on the bank of West Creek
    Dr. Tony Wong lecturing to three students on mathematics, with mathematic symbols written on glass board in the foreground
    Dr. Wolfmeyer and KU student Anna Nissley, standing on either side of a powerpoint slide that reads "improving our ability to communicate affectively"
    Female staff member and female student sitting on a desk while a male student stands to the side, all of them smiling at each other
    Female student smiling and holding up a poster for the undergraduate research and creativity conference
    Two professors stand on either side of a student, all of them analyzing a browned page
    Female student Noel Fedeli smiling while standing beside a tri-fold titled "#Me too, Kafka" at KUs Council on Human Diversity Conference
    Female student Lauren Verna smiling next to female rap artist Reyhan Sahin, whose arm is around her
    Emily Cantor in front of her research presentation.